When a company decides to bet on business development as a strategy to generate revenue, the obvious path to take is definitely digital marketing. We can all agree that this “new” way of marketing that involves SEO techniques and writing content skills is extremely valuable. It represents a real increment in revenue for the company in the long run. Despite this, traditional marketing still has some valid and useful aspects in which digital marketing can´t just compete. Here are three ways in which traditional marketing can be highly effective, and it should be seen as an additional strategy, so you have all bases covered, the digital and the traditional ones.
You may hear a lot about how traditional marketing is dying and is an outdated way of conducting business. Yes, traditional marketing has been widely overshadowed by online/digital marketing, but it doesn't mean that it cannot still be valid as an additional way of generating revenue. One of the oldest forms of traditional marketing is Direct Marketing, now this technique here is useful however it can only be implemented to people that are likely to have an interest in your products and services, everything based on data that was previously gathered.
The most notable forms of direct marketing are, to name a few:
Text messages
Phone calls
Coupons
Newsletters
Brochures
Catalogues
Fliers
What is the purpose of a Direct Marketing strategy?
This Direct Marketing approach varies from other traditional marketing tactics. While some of them aim to increase awareness or to inform certain markets of the brand´s products and services, Direct Marketing is always pursuing an action from its target lead. The goal here is to generate revenue, but other responses from customers that are also seen as positive include:
With Direct Marketing through mail campaigns, follow-up is crucial actually to generate strong leads. The good thing is that this method is highly successful than other tactics as this one has a more personal approach, which is helpful to engage potential customers as they get the sensation that the message speaks directly to them, not to a market or target audience. Something as simple as a call to action is the best way to get potential customers where you want them.
The most appealing factor of direct marketing is that it has a higher return on investment, the reason behind this is that it targets an audience already identified as potential buyers. Direct Marketing uses several ways to track down how successful a campaign is, so each contact is an opportunity to improve.
But, why is it still competitive against digital marketing?
People still like tangibles: Despite modern technology, people still sort through their mail, Brands can take advantage of this to make marketing more effective. This way, people will see your brand more often, your letter will not go to a spam folder; instead, they have no choice but to open your mail.
People feel more engaged with direct mail: People are more likely to feel connected when they get mail rather than an email because they have a more personal feeling. Emails can have some issues and users may not be able to download content or images attached, and the overall atmosphere is very impersonal, with mail on the contrary people can feel special and unique.
Physical mail stuck in people's minds: We're not trying to imply that modern technology does not leave an imprint in user's mind, but to physically open an envelope does create a more intimate bond that relates to memory and is more likely to leave a stronger imprint.
SUMMARY
The use of direct mail as a marketing strategy does not mean that digital social media is not important. We wanted to show marketing alternatives that are still valid, and that cover specific market areas (depending on the industry of course) that digital media cannot explore to its fullest. They can coexist and provide benefits to the brand without dismissing one tactic over the other. Once you manage to find the perfect boundary between them, you'll see the positive results.